The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1887-10-06
Funny Toads.

mo one knows the funny things
toads will do, said the Hon. james
A Sweeney, a Luzerne county natur-
alist and ex-member of the Pennsyl-
vania legislature "On recent
cloudy day, after a hard rain, there
there was a cool breeze blowing. L
was walking in friends garden near
Hazleton when l heard peculiar
sound. Looking in the direction from
which it came, / saw two toads in an
open space in the garden. One was
quite large, and the other was at least
a third smaller. They were both
standing on their hind feet, facing
each other. The large toad had its
fore feet over on each side of the
smaller toad's shoulders; the small
toad his left fore foot on the large ones
right leg. As they stood in that way
| they uttered strange cultural, sounds,
as if they were discussing some subject
between themselves. Suddenly the
small toad thrust its right foot or hand,
you might call it, against the large ones
stomach, and the next instant the lat
ter threw the former to the ground
and lively wrestle between them
began.
During the struggle on the ground
the skins of both toads burst open on
the back, and supposed Twas about to
see an interesting process of toads
taking off their old coats rolling them
up in little balls, and swallowing
them, as naturalists say they do. [
did witness the process of shedding
the skins, but something much more
singular than the swallowing incident
then occurred. The day was raw and
windy, as | said, and after the toads
had rubbed their skins in a comieal
way toward their heads until they had
both pulled themselves clear of them
each one began to shiver very percept-
IDLY with the cold. Suddenly the
small toad hopped quickly to where
the skin OF the big one lay and picking
it up in his mouth hoped away sew
eral feet. The big toad followed the
purloiner of his cast-off clothing with
his eyes, and gave two or three ap-
peallng croaks, but made no other eff
fort to recapture the stolen goods.
When the small toad saw that he was
not followed he deliberately set to
work to don the skin he had taken. 1t
took him some time to do it, but he
finally accomplished his purpose and
went masquerading around in the mis-
fit garment exactly like a clown in
circus wearing the big baggy costume
some of them appear in.
1.-The little fellow seemed to enioy
the novelty of the situation and hoped
around the large toad in what must
have been most tantalizing manner.
The big toad was shivering like per-
SON chilled through, and by and by
picked up the skin of the small one
and began to force it on his body.
The process was difficult one, but
after several minutes of unceasing
effort he stood habilitated in the
cast-off garment of his diminutive
companion. If the effect of. the big
skin on the little toad had been comi-
cal. that of the little skin on the big
toad was more SO. The sleeves of
the coat, so to speak, only came half
way down the arm, and the legs of the
trousers covered the toad's legs as
though they had been knickerbockers.
The body of the garment was so tight
that the toad could not work either his
legs or his arms, and he stood there
the picture of comical despair. By
and by he began to swell himself up,
and that apparently stretched the skin,
for he was able afterward to move
away slowly. He followed the small
toad into the bushes in a dignified
manner and both disappeared. What
the outcome of this curious exchange
of clothing was never knew, but the
incident satisfied me that toads do
funny things sometimes"